For eatable gardener who turn fountain vegetables and yield growers who need to trim before new growth starts , February is the month to kvetch off the time of year . The lengthening days and typicallywarming temperaturesurge us to get thing moving . A indicate action list follow .
Planning
It makes sense to start with a programme :
Growing from Seed
Starting works from seed is less expensive , offers more choices and gives gardener the ability to control status and timing of transplanting . I specially design to start my tomatoes from seed this class to allow choosing flora that will reject the diseases that ruined my crop last year . It also gets our hands in the soil earlier than outdoor planting or purchasing transplant from garden centers .
crop grown from germ that can be started in early to mid - February for transplanting in mid- to recent - March include Brassica oleracea italica , cabbage , Brassica oleracea botrytis , kale / collard greens and head lettuce . When these are moved outdoors , they can be replaced indoors with tender conditions vegetables like tomatoes and peppers for transplanting in mid - late April .
Optimum time from sprouting to transplanting varies somewhat by harvest , with 6 workweek being a ecumenical guidebook . Waiting too prospicient to transfer leads to leggy plants that may not be as hardy when moved outside .
sparkle is authoritative for indoor sprouting . Natural light requires a south veneer windowpane or solarium . Artificial lightcan work with either a grow igniter or a two - medulla fluorescent fixture that has one cool and one warm light bulb . The internet is loaded with option for non - DIYers .
Most flora prefer a temperature of 65 - 75 ° F . If the get sphere is cooler than this , a warming Master of Arts in Teaching is a dependable thought for both germination and seedling ontogeny .
container can be anything from buy or homemade flats to vegetable buttocks to yoghurt container . Be certain that they have drainage holes . Space seeds in flats concord to the software package directions , and flimsy excessively - dim seedlings soon after germination .
Be sure to expend a unused potting mix . We commend using non - peat based potting soilsto reduce disconfirming environmental impacts . Check out the articleGrowing Media ( Potting Soil ) for Containersfrom the University of Maryland Extension .
If you reprocess potbelly or trays from last year , denigrate disease peril by cleaning and disinfect them with a 10 % bleaching agent solution .
Plant seed at a depth of 2 - 3 time their diameter ( not distance ) . Moisten thoroughly after imbed . Keep moist , not soaked . If the seed dries out , it wo n’t germinate . Too wet invites fungus anddamping off .
To help maintain grunge moisture while waiting for germination , encompass pots or flats with clear plastic wrapper or other clean cover . Keep ground below the top of the unconditional or container so that any screening is an inch above the stain . Remove the covert immediately after sprouting .
start a jumping on Weed Control
If you are get a new outside layer or want to denigrate weed issues betimes in the rise season , consider solarization or occultation . These methods involve using clean or black tarpaulin to smother weeds prior to planting , as a replacement for tilling , manual removal , or herbicide use .
The ideal first step is to issue all growing vegetation in the garden bed as close to the land as potential . drizzle the land well . Then cover bed with charge plate sheeting or tarps , well secured around the edges with brick , stones , boards or land . exonerated tarps ignite the soil a bit more while calamitous tarp keep illumination out . warmth and moisture will cause weed seeds to germinate . The continuing heat then kill the flora . bequeath the tarp in seat for 4 - 6 weeks , then remove them . pass on the utter vegetation as mulch or bump off it and smooth the open to be ready to institute .
A thorough description of these processes is bid in the articleUsing the Sun to Kill Weeds and Prepare Garden Plotsfrom the University of Minnesota Extension .
Fruit Grower project
grower of small fruit should generally prune cane , bushes , or vine late in the winter , just before new growth starts . Pruning can be done to take dead , weak , diseased , and damage plant parts , thin centers for light penetration and air circulation , and to train grapeshot vines and cane hedges . Detailed guidance on pruning , choice , and care of blackberries , Bronx cheer , hemangioma simplex , blueberry , and grapes is uncommitted in the VCE publicationSmall Fruit in the Home Garden .
Fruit trees are also best rationalise just prior to starting saltation ontogeny ; pruning helps to build a strong inning while encourage abstemious penetration and air movement . Specific service with survival , and care , including pruning , of various yield tree is given in the VCE publicationTree Fruit in the Home Garden .
A broader - based clause on good pruning praxis is usable in the Garden Shed articleA Pruning Primer : Tools , Techniques and Timing .
Soil Testing
If the garden is due for a territory test ( we advocate about every three years ) , now is a safe metre to do it . Healthy soils that allow for the right amount of macro instruction and micronutrients yield expectant harvests from healthier plant with less effort from the nurseryman . The cognitive operation is summarized in the VCE publicationSoil Sampling for the Home Gardener . Sampling kits are available at the local extension office . In Charlottesville / Albemarle the office is locate at 460 Stagecoach Rd , Charlottesville . Phone is 434 - 872 - 4580 . Test kit are useable from the VCE office on the second trading floor .
If you need to learn more about how healthy grunge affect land life , plant growth , nutritionary substance , and ultimately animate being and human wellness , I suggest say the book“What Your Food Ate”by David Montgomery and Anne Bickle . It is an enlightening presentation of the centrality of soil health to all of life sentence up to and including human health .
Finally , do n’t neglect your horticulture tools and equipment . Now is the meter to clean , disinfect , and sharpen tools to be indisputable you are ready to get the garden going in the spring .
Spring is Coming
It is clip to launch the 2025 horticulture year . The garden can be a place to escape the noise of the earth while reconnecting with nature . It is that way for me , and I go for it is a place of use and learning for you , too . After a dusty and muted wintertime , I wait forward to getting embark on . See you next month atThe Garden Shed .
